Cause I've Built My Life Around You
by clexalexark
Summary: Something new I'm working on. Based off of the 02/01 of FTWD. Forever going to be Lexark trash and I refuse to let this ship sink.
1. Chapter 1

"It's ok, Alicia. I got you. I'll see you soon." The channel went silent and Alicia sat confused for a few moments.

"Hello? Jack?" Alicia got no response. She tried a few more times but gave up. Feeling frustrated, she set tossed down the radio and stormed off. She went downstairs where all the cabins were and slammed her door behind her. She flung herself on to her bed and went to sleep.

Alicia jolted up in bed to the sound of screams coming from the deck. She jumped out of bed and ran for the door only to stop when she saw a large, gruff-looking man blocking the doorway.

"We got one more!" The man called up. He grabbed Alicia by the arm and yanked her roughly up onto the deck.

"Well, well, well. You must be Alicia." A raven-haired man in his late twenties looked Alicia up and down. Hearing the familiar voice caused Alicia's heart to sink as she realized this man was Jack. "You're cuter than I thought you'd be." He winked at her.

Alicia looked around the deck and saw everyone was tied up and had gags in their mouths. She made eye contact with her mom and dropped her eyes. How could she be this stupid? "What do you want?" Alicia asked 'Jack', breaking the silence. "Who are you anyway?" She yanked her arm away from the man who dragged her up here.

"Well, princess," Alicia whipped her head to the side as she heard a new voice: a woman's. She saw a blonde girl coming out of the cockpit dressed in a leather jacket, dark jeans, and combat boots. "In case you can't tell, we're pirates." Alicia noticed that she had a husky voice and an Australian accent. "And if everyone can remain calm, we'd like to rob you all blind and steal your fancy ship."

The large man grabbed Alicia's arm back and began tying her up. "Actually, Paul, don't tie her up yet. She's mine." 'Jack' grinned and snatched Alicia's arm and yanked her hard, causing her to stumble.

"Ouch! Where are you taking me?" Alicia tried to break free of his grasp but failed. 'Jack' ignored her as he continued to drag her down the stairs. Panic crept onto Alicia's face as she realized he was heading down towards the cabins. He flung open one of the cabin doors and tossed Alicia in. She stumbled and grabbed onto a desk for support. 'Jack' laughed as he watched her struggle. He locked the door and turned around with an evil sneer.

"You won't need to be standing for too much longer." He laughed to himself as he began undoing his belt and jeans.

Alicia's eyes became wide as the sick realization of his intentions. "Um, wait. Uh, uh is your name really Jack?" She asked in a panicked voice.

Intrigued, he stopped fiddling with his pants and looked up at her. "Uh, no. It's Ben."

She took advantage of his pause to ask more questions. "Was any of that stuff true that you told me? About your girlfriend? I mean, I guess your ship didn't sink…"

Ben began snickering at her innocence. "No. Clearly my ship wasn't sinking. I made it all up just to find more shit to steal. And you fell for it. Thanks for making it so easy." He winked at her again and went back to unzipping his pants.

Alicia began racking her brain for anything she could say to possibly buy herself more time. Her eyes darted around the room looking for something, anything that could help her. Her eyes fell back to Ben who was completely undressed and was walking towards her. Startled, she started backing away and tripped backwards. He laughed and rushed forward, throwing her on the bed, and began pawing at her clothes. She let out a scream and he howled with laughter as she struggled. He tore her plaid shirt open, ripping off the buttons, and began yanking at her pants. She tried to kick and hit him but he was too strong; he threw her backwards and she hit her head on the headboard. She quietly gave up, feeling defeated as he still struggled with her pants.

All of a sudden, there was a loud banging sound at the door. "Benjamin, whatcha doing?" Alicia heard the Australian voice. "I swear to fucking God, Benjamin, you know the rule. YOU BETTER NOT HAVE THAT LITTLE BEAN IN THERE. YOU KNOW THE FUCKING RULE, BENJAMIN." With one swift kick, the blonde kicked down the door and stormed into the room. She took out a 9mm pistol from it's holster at her side and fired once, shooting Ben right between the eyes. His naked body fell over off the bed and Alicia screamed, trying to cover herself with the blanket.

The Aussie holstered her weapon and tried to calm the girl down. "Hey, hey, hey, are you ok? I'm so fucking sorry. We are shitty people but the one rule is not to rape and I'm so sorry. Did that pathetic excuse of a human hurt you? I'm so sorry." Her voice was soft when she spoke. She tried to reach out to brush a lock of brunette hair out of her face, but Alicia flinched away. The Aussie recoiled her hand and frowned. "I'm sorry again." She got up and reached down beside the bed and handed Alicia back her plaid shirt. She grabbed the corpse by his feet and began dragging him out of the room.

She struggled up the steps while dragging the body and eventually made it onto the deck. She dropped the feet with a loud thud, and glanced towards Paul who was leaning on a rail looking out into the water. She took out her pistol and fired two shots into Paul causing him to topple over the railing and into the water. She holstered her weapon and continued dragging the naked body, ignoring the shocked stares from her prisoners. She grunted and strained as she dragged him over to the waters edge and rolled him overboard with a push of her boot.

She looked around at the family that was tied up and sighed. She emptied her jacket pockets of all the items she had stolen and set them on a nearby table. She bent down and withdrew a knife from the side of her boot and began cutting the ropes, freeing everyone. "Look, guys. I'm sorry about everything. This was really shitty and I knew we shouldn't have done this." She freed the last person and turned to leave.

"Wait!" A voice called out. The blonde turned around and saw Alicia standing on the deck. "I didn't get a chance to thank you for saving me…" Her voice quieted as she trailed off. "Thank you."

The Aussie froze as she looked at Alicia feeling confused. "Um…you're welcome."

"Wait, saved you from what?" Madison looked back and forth between both girls.

Alicia's eyes dropped as she subconsciously adjusted her shirt, too embarrassed to answer her mom. Madison kept staring at Alicia until she slowly pieced it together. "What the- I'll kill that son of a bitch-"

"Already done." The Aussie interrupted. "That was the naked bloke I threw overboard." She hitched a thumb in that general direction.

Madison looked slightly relived but still stressed. "Well you might be a thief, but you still deserve a thank you. What's your name?"

"My name? Elyza. Elyza Lex."

"That is the fakest sounding shit…" Alicia mumbled quietly.

"Oh NOW you question people's authenticity?" Nick rolled his eyes. Alicia shot him a dirty look.

"Are you on your own now?" Madison asked Elyza, glancing toward the pool of blood where Paul was shot.

"Uh, yeah I reckon I am now." Elyza frowned slightly.

Madison glanced around the group and got a nod of approval from Travis. "Why don't you stay with us for a while?" She smiled.

Elyza hesitated and glanced over at Alicia who's expression she couldn't quite figure out. "Um, are you sure? I kind of just tried to rob you. And I just murdered two people."

"Are you going to rob us again?" Madison cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, no-"

"Then the invitation remains. Why don't you sleep on it and let us know tomorrow?" Madison rubbed Elyza's shoulder a little.

"Are you kidding me? I told you no one comes on this boat unless they can contribute something. What's she gonna contribute? Nothing but a no good thief who tried to steal my precious yacht-"

The group unanimously decided to throw Strand overboard because of his selfish and crazy ways. He had been annoying everyone since his character came about, but without him, they wouldn't have had this nice boat.

Elyza sighed. "Alright." Her face grew slightly warm as she felt everyone's gaze on her. She glanced around the group and her eyes briefly settled on a dark haired girl with olive skin.

"Oh how rude. Let me introduce you to everyone. I'm Madison, Alicia's mom."

"And I'm Alicia." She chimed in, waving her hand slightly.

"This is Alicia's brother, Nick." Madison gestured. "This is my husband, Travis and his son Nick. And this is Daniel and his daughter, Ofelia."

"Nice to meet you guys." Elyza murmured.

"Let's get you a cabin and something to eat." Madison smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

Elyza walked around her cabin, paying particular attention to the bookshelves in there. Her fingers brushed over the spines of the books as she noted the titles. 'The Great Gatsby', 'Jane Eyre', 'Oliver Twist'. So many of her favorites. Her fingers paused as the hovered over 'Treasure Island' and she frowned. What was she thinking trying to be a pirate? The first few ships were fun to raid and she enjoyed any opportunity to kill the walkers, but honestly how long was she planning on stealing? "Pop raised you better than that." She said aloud as she sighed. She jumped when she heard a quiet knock at the door. "Come in." She responded.

The door opened slightly and Alicia poked her head in. "You got the good room." She smiled as she gestured towards the bookshelves.

"Oh yeah. There are so many amazing books here." Elyza smiled back.

"I know I already said it, but I wanted to thank you again." Alicia walked over towards Elyza. "And I'm sorry for saying your name sounded fake." Alicia tried to hold back her laughter.

"Quite alright," Elyza laughed. "And I wanted to apologize to you again. None of that ever should have happened to you. Ben was always an asshole but I never imagined he'd do anything like that. I don't know why I was friends with him all this time-"

"I'm sorry, what? They were your fucking friends?"

Elyza was a little startled by the sudden hostility. "Well, yeah. I've known them for years. We went to school together and everything. We didn't set out to be thieving pirates. We used to skateboard, play shows, smoke…" Elyza trailed off. "I mean when shit went down we were just screwing around one day when we wanted to start stealing and I guess it got out of control. No one was supposed to get hurt."

"And you just killed your friends that easily?" Alicia asked surprisingly.

"Ben wasn't going to stop. And if Paul knew I killed him then he would have killed me, end of story." Elyza stated shortly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna head to bed."

Alicia left Elyza's room with her head spinning, not quite knowing how to feel. She walked towards her room and heard moaning sounds coming from her mom's room. She made a disgusted face and quickened her pace, closing her door behind her.

Elyza awoke to a a few knocks at her door. She had slept surprisingly well. It had been a long time since she'd slept in an actual bed. "Yeah?" She sat up and replied sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey I just thought you'd like some breakfast." She was surprised to see the dark haired girl. 'Ofelia', her brain reminded her.

"Oh um thanks. Ofelia, right?" Elyza smiled.

She smiled and nodded her head, bringing the tray over and placing it on her lap. "Hopefully you like omelettes-"

Ofelia barely got the words out before Elyza started shoveling bites in her mouth. "How the fuck did you make an omelette on a ship? In the middle of the ocean?" She asked between mouthfuls. "This is so good."

Ofelia laughed and opened the cabin door. "Enjoy!" She winked and closed it.

Alicia got dressed and headed up onto the deck. She was incredibly bored now that she didn't get to look forward to talking on the radio. She shuddered remembering the events that transpired yesterday. She ascended the stairs to the deck and heard something she hadn't heard for a while: the sound of her mother's laughter. She climbed the final step with a smile on her face, glancing around to see her mom and Elyza laughing. It looked like Elyza just got done telling a story. Her smile vanished when she saw the source of her mom's laughter.

"Oh hey, good morning cupcake!" Elyza called over to her.

"Good morning, honey." Her mom joined in.

"Don't call me that." Alicia replied sounding irritated as she stomped past them.

"Oh, Alicia, what's wrong, sweetie?" Madison asked, still smiling.

Alicia rolled her eyes and continued to the other side of the deck. Elyza watched as she strutted away and couldn't help noticing the way her butt moved from side to side. She saw Alicia grab a patio chair and began removing her shirt, revealing her bikini top and begun to undo her shorts, bending over exposing her bottoms. Elyza had to force herself to look away and focus back on Madison. What had they been talking about? School, that's right.

"So uh what subject did Travis teach again?" Elyza hoped Madison hadn't caught her staring at her daughter.

"12th grade English, specializing in literature." Madison replied smiling. Elyza didn't see any trace of suspicion and figured she was in the clear.

"Oh I love literature! I love the cabin you gave me is amazing, by the way. All those books." Elyza sighed with excitement.

"I'm so glad!" Madison grinned. "I just really wanted to thank you for saving Alicia. That was every mother's worst nightmare and I don't think I can ever repay you for doing the right thing and being a hero."

Elyza didn't feel much like a hero. She glanced towards Alicia who was in her own world and didn't give Elyza a second thought. "It's really no big deal." She forced a small smile. "So, um, thank you for your hospitality but I really don't think I can stay here."

"Why is that?" Madison frowned.

"I- well- um-" Elyza couldn't quite articulate what she was thinking and felt pangs of guilt when she saw how sad Madison had become.

"You're leaving?"

Elyza whipped her head around at the sound of another voice. She saw Ofelia standing with her head cocked to the side and one hand on her hip. Elyza's eyes trailed down from her hips looking at her tan slender legs and back up past her toned stomach and up to her face. She saw a small smile form in the corner of her mouth.

"I meant I can't stay without getting the rest of my stuff. We have a small island we were staying at about 15 miles from here. I have some supplies I can bring too." Elyza blurted out before she could stop herself. As soon as the words left her lips she regretted them. Why did she say that she would stay here? This isn't the kind of place she can live. She craved excitement, adventure, and zombie slaying; not sitting cooped up in a cabin re-reading books from her youth.

"Oh what a splendid idea!" Madison clapped her hands together. "You two could even go together." Madison peered over her sunglasses and glanced between the two girls.

Elyza smiled and opened her mouth to speak when she was interrupted by another voice. "I'll go," Everyone turned to look. Madison smilled, Elyza cocked one of her eyebrows, and Ofelia crossed her arms and scowled. "I'm dying to get off this stupid ship anyway." Alicia finished her sentence.


	3. Chapter 3

I strongly recommend everyone go watch Eliza Taylor singing

youtu . be/4_hT960prRk

Because it's relevant to this chapter :)

Also this chapter is long and I have no regrets

Elyza turned back and offered her hand out, Alicia begrudgingly accepted and hopped into the boat.

"Now be safe, girls! You had better be back before sundown." Madison called out to them as Elyza cranked the motor of the boat. She revved the engine a few times and they sped off, both girls waving as they departed.

They rode in silence for a bit until Alicia spotted an ipod dock in the corner. She quickly snatched it up and began scrolling through the music choices.

"Gangster rap? Seriously?" Alicia rolled her eyes and kept scrolling.

"Hey!" Elyza tried to take it away from her but Alicia quickly moved it just out of her reach without her letting go of the wheel.

Alicia found herself grinning when she found a playlist titled "Meow" and began playing it; Spice Girls began blasting from the speakers. She scrolled through and saw everything from pop-punk to Nelly to Lana Del Ray to…Fleetwood Mac? "Is this your music?" Alicia asked loudly over the music.

"We kind of shared the ipod, but yeah that's my playlist." Elyza yelled back, trying to hide how self conscious she suddenly felt.

Alicia was content sitting in the sunshine, looking through the music and playing a few games that were on here. She envied how smart Elyza was having a solar-powered charger and wished she had thought of that since her phone had been dead about three weeks now. Before she knew it, the girls arrived to a small island about the size of the end of the cul-de-sac Alicia used to live in. Elyza carefully docked the boat, tied it, and climbed out. She reached out and Alicia grabbed her hand to climb out as well.

"Home sweet home." Elyza murmured as the girls headed towards a little shack. Elyza bent down and produced a small key from inside her boot and unlocked the door.

Once inside, Alicia's eyes had to adjust to the darkness. There were tiny rays of light filtering through the wooden boards that the shack was made of, and with them she could make out a bunk bed in the corner, a small kitchen table, and a sofa. As her eyes adjusted more she saw a shelf with a few cans of food on it and continued scanning the room while Elyza began gathering some things up. She saw her reach under the sofa and produce a shotgun and a small box of shells. She set it on the table and reached under the table. Alicia heard a ripping sound as she took out two pistols and a machete. Puzzled, Alicia kept watching the blonde as she walked around the shed exposing more weapons in the most random places: a baseball bat hidden behind a curtain, some kind of assault rifle in a dresser drawer, and a sniper rifle under a pile of clothes. Alica was shocked as the pile of weapons grew and covered the entire table. Elyza scooped up the few cans of food on the shelf and reached into a broken refrigerator to bring out a large first aid kit.

"Ok I think that's everything useful that we have…" Elyza trailed off lost in thought. "Oh I almost forgot." She reached under a rug and pulled out a large crossbow. She went into what Alicia thought was supposed to be a closet and grabbed a duffel bag. She began filling it with clothes, mostly t-shirts, tank tops, and a few hoodies. Elyza reached far back into the closet and grabbed a quiver filled with arrows. "Ready to load up" Elyza smiled as she walked back towards the table. Alicia felt uneasy as Elyza began handing her weapons to carry out to the boat and her discomfort must have shown on her face.

"What's wrong, sweet cheeks?" Elyza paused and frowned.

"I don't really like guns." Alicia held one of them gingerly in her hand as far away as her arm would reach.

"Oh, for the love of- Here, trade me." Elyza snatched the gun away from her and replaced it with a duffel bag. "Let's go, little cinnamon roll." Elyza headed out the door and motioned her arm for Alicia to follow.

As soon as the girls got outside they immediately noticed how dark clouds overtook the sky and the wind picked up, blowing their hair. "Oh bloody hell. Like we need a tropical storm right now…" Elyza yelled angrily. "Forget it, put all the shit back. We need to wait this out." Elyza turned around and threw everything she was holding back into the house and ran towards the boat. She grabbed out a few electronics and double checked that it was securely anchored. The wind became violent as she ran back towards the shack. The palm trees bowed under the pressure and swayed fiercely in the wind. Elyza was halfway back when a loud crack of thunder echoed all around her and the rain came down in thick sheets. Elyza reached the shack door, soaked and panting, closing the door behind her. She looked around the room to see that Alicia had lit a few candles, setting them up on the coffee table. She also had a blanket in her hands and walked over to Elyza, wrapping her in its warmth.

"Are you ok?" Alicia asked, looking her up and down for any traces of injury.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good." Elyza smiled as her breathing had returned to normal as she pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. "Where did you even find candles?" She asked.

"They were in a drawer over there." Alicia hitched her thumb.

Elyza dug around in the freezer portion of the broken fridge and produced a bottle of Jack Daniel's. She shook the bottle and cocked an eyebrow at Alicia. "I've never had that before." Alicia admitted, thinking back to the handful of times she had drank. A beer at a party, a glass of wine at dinner with her mom. "Oh, honeybun you are in for a treat." Elyza exclaimed as she set down two shot glasses on the coffee table. She opened the bottle and took a quick swig before pouring out the shots. She held one up to Alicia who hesitantly accepted. "Cheers, mate." Elyza clinked their glasses and threw her shot back. Alicia followed soon after and began sputtering and coughing. "Oh my god I think you're poisoning me." She choked out.

Elyza got up and grabbed a bottle of water, tossing it to Alicia who began taking huge gulps.

"Ready for round two?" Elyza laughed as she poured another shot for each of them.

"Only if this one won't burn as badly." Alicia begrudgingly picked up her shot and the girls threw them back together. 'It's not that bad,' Alicia thought after her third shot.

"Alright, that's enough, drunky." Elyza smiled as she put the bottle back into the freezer. She began rooting through the closet again and produced a ukulele. Alicia half-smiled as she watched Elyza sit back on the couch and tune it.

"Any requests?" Elyza grinned and strummed a few chords.

"Uh," Alicia struggled to think of a good song. "R Kelly!" She blurted out.

"You're fucking joking…" Elyza mumbled as she looked down at the strings on her uke. She took a deep breath and began to strum.

"It's the remix to ignition

Hot and fresh out the kitchen

Mama rolling that body

got every man in here wishing

Sipping on coke and rum

I'm like so what I'm drunk

It's the freaking weekend baby

I'm about to have me some fun

Bounce Bounce Bounce Bounce Bounce Bounce Bounce

Bounce Bounce Bounce" Elyza giggled a few times throughout her performance at the sheer ridiculousness of playing R&B on a ukulele, but Alicia was completely taken aback by how beautiful her voice was. Her Australian accent shined through on certain words or phrases and Alicia absolutely loved it.

"You're such an amazing singer." Alicia grinned drunkenly.

"No, stop it. I just do this for fun." Elyza tried to hide her face as she felt her cheeks become warm. "You play?" She offered the uke to Alicia.

"Oh no," Alicia waved her hands defensively. "No, definitely not."

"Aw, c'mon, cutie pie. Just give it a try." Elyza tossed it into her lap.

Alicia picked it up and strummed a few times giggling. "Ok I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm gonna sing anyway." Alicia began strumming wildly.

"Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it

I tried to be chill, but you're so hot that I melted

I fell right through the cracks

Now I'm trying to get back" She had to stop singing from laughing so much. "Ok I'm done."

"Noo keep going!" Elyza encouraged. "Do you want me to play and you can sing?" She offered.

Alicia agreed and handed the uke back to Elyza who began practicing a few chords. "Ok ready? 1, 2. 1, 2, 3."

Alicia sang through the whole song with Elyza playing and occasionally harmonizing. Elyza smiled as she watched Alicia belt out the final lyrics, "Baby, do you believe I'm yours? You best believe, best believe, I'm yours."

She put down the uke and began clapping when she felt lips crashing into hers. She pulled back for an instant to see Alicia staring back, green eyes wide. Elyza's eyes darted from her lips to her eyes and back again. She rushed back into another kiss, savoring how soft Alicia felt. Elyza reached up and brushed a few brunette strands out of Alicia's face and pulled away again.

"C'mon, let's get you to bed, drunky." Elyza forced a smile. She got up and led Alicia over to the bunk bed. She grabbed a few pillows and a blanket and tucked her into bed. She was always so good at taking care of drunks. She reminisced to the times after the party had ended and she would find empty rooms for people, grab them rubbish bins, hold girls' hair back. She grabbed a water bottle and tried to get Alicia to drink.

"Trust me, baby girl, you'll thank yourself in the morning." Alicia groaned and rolled away from Elyza. She sighed and placed the water next to her pillow and headed back to the couch.

She quickly undressed, laid down, and drifted off to sleep.

Elyza awoke in the middle of the night to pure darkness; the candles had burned out hours ago. Confused, she realized the weight on top of her was Alicia who had wandered over and climbed on her. Groggy Elyza smiled and gently sat up and scooped Alicia into her arms. "Let's get you back to bed." She whispered.

Alicia groaned and nuzzled Elyza's neck, "ButIwannacuddle." She mumbled.

Elyza's smile widened as she carefully carried her across the room back to the bottom bunk. She rolled Alicia into bed and climbed in next to her, placing one arm underneath her head and snaking another across her waist. Alicia scooted back closer to Elyza who pulled her close. Elyza reached up and placed a kiss on her forehead and whispered, Goodnight."


	4. Chapter 4

At breakfast the next morning, Alicia tried to grab her share and retreat to her room but her mother had other plans.

"No, honey, stay and eat. You need to socialize." She patted the seat next to her, which happened to be beside Elyza as well. Alicia rolled her eyes and sat down. She was too focused staring down at her food to notice Ofelia wasn't at breakfast.

"Good morning, sunshine." Elyza nudged Alicia's side with her elbow in an attempt to make Alicia smile, but failed when she got no response. Elyza politely returned to eating her food but wasn't giving up that easily. "Have you ever been scuba diving, Alicia?" She peered over at her from the corner of her eye.

Alicia did the same and accidentally made eye contact with her. She quickly averted her gaze, but now was forced to reply. "No." She mumbled.

"Oh perfect! Let's go today." Elyza said cheerily as she finished her breakfast. "Meet me on deck in one hour." She scooted her chair out and headed back towards her cabin.

Elyza made sure to dress in her tightest, smallest black bikini as she waited on the deck. She peered at the time on her ipod as it passed the one hour mark. She sighed and gave Alicia a few more minutes before going to investigate. She knocked on her door and received no answer. "Alicia!" She knocked again.

Alicia flung open the door and flopped back onto her bed. Elyza wanted to frown, but faked enthusiasm. "Why aren't you dressed? We're going scuba diving, sugar plum!"

"No." Alicia stated flatly and mindlessly flipped the pages of her magazine.

Elyza's jaw twitched as she forced her smile bigger. "Yes we are. I'm getting you out of this bloody room." She scooped Alicia up, who acted indifferent as she continued reading her magazine. Elyza quickly carried her onto the deck. She began sprinting to the edge and leapt, releasing Alicia as they hit the water. Alicia squealed loudly as she reacted to the cold water and Elyza began laughing as they both became submerged. They surfaced and Alicia sulked as she treaded water. She glared as Elyza grinned back at her. Alicia angrily swung her hand and attempted to splash her, only for Elyza to splash her back. They went back and forth a few times before Alicia gave up and began to swim away. Elyza chased her and pulled at her feet under the water. Alicia whipped around and yanked her foot back.

"What's your fucking deal?" She spat angrily.

"I told you we were going scuba diving today, buttercup. Now let's go, it's not too late." Elyza tried to smile.

"Why don't you take Ofelia." Alicia said flatly and turned back around to swim away.

"Because I want you," Elyza said quietly. "Because I want to go with you." She said slightly louder as she saw Alicia turn back towards her. Elyza watched as her face softened.

The girls stared at each other for a few moments as they continued to tread water before Alicia broke the silence.

"Did we kiss last night?" Alicia almost whispered and Elyza nodded her head and smiled.

Alicia's gaze immediately dropped but she glanced back up to see Elyza still staring and smiling.

"What? Are you embarrassed?" Elyza chuckled.

"I mean a little bit. What else happened?" Alicia blushed.

"We sang and you tried to play the ukulele." Elyza laughed as she reminisced. And you like to cuddle she thought. "You were drunk, and we had fun. No biggie." She reassured her.

Alicia smiled. She suddenly noticed how tired her legs were getting treading water in jeans. Elyza took notice as well.

"See? You should have dressed properly." She teased. Alicia smiled, splashed her, and began swimming back to the boat.

"I don't think I packed a swimsuit." Alicia frowned as she searched through her closet. "Do you have an extra one?" She turned back towards Elyza and checked her out from head to toe.

"Well at the very least you can't wear this." Elyza tugged at Alicia's soaked shirt and jeans. Alicia attempted to remove her shirt but struggled. Elyza reached out to help, but hesitated. "Want some help?" She asked quietly.

"Obviously." Alica continued struggling.

Elyza assisted and threw the sopping shirt across the room. Alicia rolled onto her back and unbuttoned her drenched jeans. She arched her hips and Elyza peeled them off. She glanced down at Alicia in her lacy bra and underwear. "You definitely can't go diving in that." Her voice became husky as she took in all of Alicia: her perky breasts, her taut stomach, her long slender legs. She tried hard not to stare but she didn't have the willpower. She cleared her throat and hopped off the bed, pretending to look around her room to distract her thoughts.

"Aha!" Elyza turned to see Alicia, wrapped in a towel, excitedly holding a white bikini top with a small tie in the front.

That afternoon, Elyza taught Alicia the proper techniques of snorkeling since they didn't actually have scuba gear. "It sounded way cooler than 'snorkeling'", Elyza had insisted.

They spent all afternoon together looking at the coral reefs and fish. Alicia quickly swam to the surface, squealing, when she found a starfish and held up her prize.

Madison watched from the Abigail's deck and smiled. This was the first time in a long time she had seen Alicia genuinely happy, carefree. _I'm so glad she has a_ _friend,_ Madison thought. She felt an arm snake behind her back as Travis joined her. She rested her head on his shoulder and treasured Alicia's joy.


	5. Chapter 5

At breakfast the next morning, Alicia tried to grab her share and retreat to her room but her mother had other plans.

"No, honey, stay and eat. You need to socialize." She patted the seat next to her, which happened to be beside Elyza as well. Alicia rolled her eyes and sat down. She was too focused staring down at her food to notice Ofelia wasn't at breakfast.

"Good morning, sunshine." Elyza nudged Alicia's side with her elbow in an attempt to make Alicia smile, but failed when she got no response. Elyza politely returned to eating her food but wasn't giving up that easily. "Have you ever been scuba diving, Alicia?" She peered over at her from the corner of her eye.

Alicia did the same and accidentally made eye contact with her. She quickly averted her gaze, but now was forced to reply. "No." She mumbled.

"Oh perfect! Let's go today." Elyza said cheerily as she finished her breakfast. "Meet me on deck in one hour." She scooted her chair out and headed back towards her cabin.

Elyza made sure to dress in her tightest, smallest black bikini as she waited on the deck. She peered at the time on her ipod as it passed the one hour mark. She sighed and gave Alicia a few more minutes before going to investigate. She knocked on her door and received no answer. "Alicia!" She knocked again.

Alicia flung open the door and flopped back onto her bed. Elyza wanted to frown, but faked enthusiasm. "Why aren't you dressed? We're going scuba diving, sugar plum!"

"No." Alicia stated flatly and mindlessly flipped the pages of her magazine.

Elyza's jaw twitched as she forced her smile bigger. "Yes we are. I'm getting you out of this bloody room." She scooped Alicia up, who acted indifferent as she continued reading her magazine. Elyza quickly carried her onto the deck. She began sprinting to the edge and leapt, releasing Alicia as they hit the water. Alicia squealed loudly as she reacted to the cold water and Elyza began laughing as they both became submerged. They surfaced and Alicia sulked as she treaded water. She glared as Elyza grinned back at her. Alicia angrily swung her hand and attempted to splash her, only for Elyza to splash her back. They went back and forth a few times before Alicia gave up and began to swim away. Elyza chased her and pulled at her feet under the water. Alicia whipped around and yanked her foot back.

"What's your fucking deal?" She spat angrily.

"I told you we were going scuba diving today, buttercup. Now let's go, it's not too late." Elyza tried to smile.

"Why don't you take Ofelia." Alicia said flatly and turned back around to swim away.

"Because I want you," Elyza said quietly. "Because I want to go with you." She said slightly louder as she saw Alicia turn back towards her. Elyza watched as her face softened.

The girls stared at each other for a few moments as they continued to tread water before Alicia broke the silence.

"Did we kiss last night?" Alicia almost whispered and Elyza nodded her head and smiled.

Alicia's gaze immediately dropped but she glanced back up to see Elyza still staring and smiling.

"What? Are you embarrassed?" Elyza chuckled.

"I mean a little bit. What else happened?" Alicia blushed.

"We sang and you tried to play the ukulele." Elyza laughed as she reminisced. And you like to cuddle she thought. "You were drunk, and we had fun. No biggie." She reassured her.

Alicia smiled. She suddenly noticed how tired her legs were getting treading water in jeans. Elyza took notice as well.

"See? You should have dressed properly." She teased. Alicia smiled, splashed her, and began swimming back to the boat.

"I don't think I packed a swimsuit." Alicia frowned as she searched through her closet. "Do you have an extra one?" She turned back towards Elyza and checked her out from head to toe, observing her tattoos.

"Well at the very least you can't wear this." Elyza tugged at Alicia's soaked shirt and jeans. Alicia attempted to remove her shirt but struggled. Elyza reached out to help, but hesitated. "Want some help?" She asked quietly.

"Obviously." Alica continued struggling.

Elyza assisted and threw the sopping shirt across the room. Alicia rolled onto her back and unbuttoned her drenched jeans. She arched her hips and Elyza peeled them off. She glanced down at Alicia in her lacy bra and underwear. "You definitely can't go diving in that." Her voice became husky as she took in all of Alicia: her perky breasts, her taut stomach, her long slender legs. She tried hard not to stare but she didn't have the willpower. She cleared her throat and hopped off the bed, pretending to look around her room to distract her thoughts.

"Aha!" Elyza turned to see Alicia, wrapped in a towel, excitedly holding a white bikini top with a small tie in the front.

That afternoon, Elyza taught Alicia the proper techniques of snorkeling since they didn't actually have scuba gear. "It sounded way cooler than 'snorkeling'", Elyza had insisted.

They spent all afternoon together looking at the coral reefs and fish. Alicia quickly swam to the surface, squealing, when she found a starfish and held up her prize.

Madison watched from the Abigail's deck and smiled. This was the first time in a long time she had seen Alicia genuinely happy, carefree. 'I'm so glad she has a friend' Madison thought. She felt an arm snake behind her back as Travis joined her. She rested her head on his shoulder and treasured Alicia's joy.


	6. Chapter 6

Aw, c'mon guys! 6 chapters and no reviews? Show me some love! :)

That evening, after the girls had finished snorkeling, they boarded the Abigail for dinner. Elyza had caught a few crabs and oysters, and to celebrate how optimistic Madison was feeling, she broke out a few bottles of champagne she had found.

"Honey, do you want to try some?" Madison offered a glass to Alicia.

Oh fuck, here comes drunky, Elyza silently cursed as Alicia accepted the glass. And the next one, and the next. And the bottle she snuck under the table when everyone was distracted. Almost everyone; Elyza definitely saw it and gave Alicia a suspicious glance. Although she couldn't help but be entertained by the lightweight brunette who gradually got louder as her words got sloppier.

"Don't you think you've had enough, sweet cheeks?" Elyza whispered as she tried to take away the bottle from Alicia's hands under the table.

Alicia jerked it away from her and shook her head, smiling. She got up and sauntered off, leaving just Elyza and Madison at the table. The had both watched the brunette get up to leave and turned back at the same time. They both glanced around at the empty table.

"Does she drink often?" Elyza attempted to hide her laughter.

"I don't think she does." Madison joined in.

"What was she like before all this?" Elyza asked, resting her face on her hand.

Madison frowned slightly as she tried to remember Alicia right before it all happened. She could thoroughly remember dealing with Nick's issues, falling in love with Travis, and she had many memories of the school. But she felt like the last few years Alicia had gotten pushed to the side to make room for everything else. Madison poured herself another glass of champagne and sipped.

"She is amazing. She is so smart and level-headed; sarcastic and stubborn, but generally level-headed." Madison smiled. "She really stepped up after her father died. She was young and it made her have to grow up quickly, which I regret. She helped around the house and helped take care of Nick. Did Alicia tell you about Nick?"

Elyza shook her head and Madison sighed, looking off into the horizon as the sun began to set. "He's a good boy, but he's struggled with addiction. I know it was hard on Alicia and I wasn't always there but I tried my hardest. Being a single mom was so rough. I think I did my best though. Alicia had gotten accepted into Berkeley and I couldn't have been more proud."

"She really is amazing." Elyza added, smiling. "I've never met anyone quite like her."  
Madison nodded and wiped a tear from her eye.

"What about when she was little?" Elyza tried to distract her.

"Oh my, I swear she was born sassy. She was a very bossy toddler. She used to demand things with her hands on her hips. She loved playing dress up and every week she was a different character. If I could charge my phone I could show you pictures-"

"I HAVE A SOLAR CHARGER!" Elyza ran and grabbed it, and they managed to get Madison's phone powered on. "OH MY GOD!" Elyza threw her head back and roared with laughter at the sight of little Alicia dressed in her dad's hat, dress shirt, tie, and shoes. She scrolled over to find Alicia dressed like a doctor with a huge stethoscope around her tiny neck. And another photo revealed Alicia with her nose painted black and she appeared to be crawling on the ground. "What is she doing here?" Elyza pointed to the photo.

"Oh, lord. That was the time Alicia wanted to be a dog. She stole my eyeliner to paint her nose and crawled around on the ground for two weeks. She even refused to eat at the table, she would set her plate on the ground to eat. She taped toilet paper to her butt for a tail and would only answer to 'Lulu'." Madison and Elyza were howling with laughter by the end of her story. "Do you- do you know how I got her to finally stop?" Madison barely got out the words in between laughing. "I had to buy a damn dog and she didn't even name her 'Lulu', she called her 'Fish'. I'm not even joking. But she got hit by a car on Valentine's Day, so don't bring her up. She still gets upset." Madison warned.

"Aww, poor thing." Elyza sympathized. "Well, I should probably check on her." Elyza got up and stretched. "I had a really fun time tonight."

"Me too. I'm so glad she has a great friend like you, Elyza." Madison smiled and rubbed her arm in a motherly way.

By this time, it was dark and Elyza finally found Alicia out on deck curled up in a sleeping bag.

"Leashy?" Elyza quietly called out as she approached her. "You awake?" She bent down and poked at her.

"Yeah," Alicia tried to sit up but couldn't. Elyza helped her up and propped her back against the railing and sat down beside her.

"Wanna head to bed?" Elyza offered.

"No." Alicia pouted.

"Alright, well I gotta ask, do you do this all the time?" Elyza smiled softly.

"Do what?" Alicia groaned and slumped down, resting her head on Elyza's lap.

"This, silly. Get drunk and completely helpless." Elyza teased.

"No. I don't ever do this." Alicia became defensive and tried to sit up again.

"Whoa, whoa. I was only teasing." Elyza soothed and she laid her head back down.

"I'm only doing this to cope with my feelings." Alicia mumbled so low that Elyza couldn't quite hear her.

"What now, gumdrop?" Elyza tried to get her to repeat herself but she just fell silent. The girls sat in comfortable silence. Elyza rubbed Alicia's back and closed her eyes, enjoying the sound of the waves crashing against the boat.


	7. Chapter 7

Elyza awoke to the feeling of cold water splashing on her face. She sputtered and jumped upright to see Ofelia grinning and holding a bucket. She scowled and looked over to see Alicia soaked as well.

"What the fuck!" Alicia got to her feet and shoved Ofelia.

Ofelia's jaw dropped. "Oh no you did not just do that, puta." She shoved Alicia back into the railing of the ship.

Alicia stood with her hands balled into fists at her side, knuckles turning white. "I will give you one more chance to go fuck yourself." She spoke through clenched teeth.

"Why would I fuck myself when I can fuck Elyza?" Ofelia smirked and turned to saunter away.

Alicia ran full force and tackled Ofelia to the ground. Ofelia tried to claw at her but Alicia pinned her hands with her knees and began pulling at her hair, thrashing her head.

Elyza sat on the ground bewildered at the sight. They're fighting over me, she thought. This is so hot. She continued watching the girls flail, slap, and roll all over the deck. The commotion eventually awoke the other passengers as they sleepily shuffled up from their cabins.

"What the hell is going on?!" Travis rubbed his eyes.

"Girls! Girls stop!" Madison ran over and tried to break them up. It took Chris, Travis, and Madison to finally pull them off each other and on opposites sides of the deck.

"What was all that about?" Travis demanded answers from Alicia.

"I was sleeping and minding my own business and she threw a bucket of cold water on me!" Alicia said bitterly.

"Ok well you guys can't be doing this. We're all stuck together in this mess and you need to be civil. Why don't you guys just keep away from each other in the meantime. I'm disappointed in you, Alicia. I thought you were more mature than this." Travis sighed and shook his head as he shuffled back to his cabin.

Alicia sat staring at the sunrise wrapped in her sleeping bag in complete silence.

"Hey, you ok?" Elyza sat down beside her and began reaching her hand towards her arm. Alicia jerked away and remained silent. Elyza sighed and continued to sit by her and watch the sunrise as well, glancing at her from the corner of her eye. She saw a single tear roll down her cheek that quickly got wiped away.

"Alicia!" Madison stomped over to the girls. "Fighting, really?" She placed a hand on her hip and pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is the last thing we need right now. We have so much more important things to worry about than your trivial cat fight. Thankfully Ofelia isn't injured because we really need Daniel to sail this ship-"

"OK, MOM, JESUS CHRIST!" Alicia got up and stormed away. "I'M FINE TOO, THANKS FOR ASKING." She yelled over her shoulder.

Elyza watched the whole situation unfold and fizzle out with nothing but sadness in her heart. She wanted to chase after Alicia but didn't want to upset her further. "Fuck it." She mumbled and got up.

She knocked softly at the door. "Alicia?" She rested her head against the door. "Alicia…?" Elyza sighed and walked back to her room.

"Just leave like everyone else does." Alicia muttered and hugged her knees to her chest tighter. _It would be nice if someone gave a shit about me._ She thought. She sniffled and rested her forehead on her knees. She lifted her head when she heard the faint sound of strumming.

"Her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her trying." Alicia heard Elyza's voice in the hallway as the strumming got louder. "It's so, it's so sad to think that she don't see what I see." It sounded like Elyza was right outside her door now. Alicia got up and opened the door to see Elyza standing there, strumming her ukulele, singing, and grinning from ear to ear. "When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change. Cause, girl, you're amazing just the way you are." Alicia smiled, wiping the tears from her cheeks, and watched Elyza continue to serenade her. "And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while. Cause, girl, you're amazing just the way you are."

Elyza threw down her ukulele and grabbed Alicia's face pulling her in for a kiss. Alicia froze as she felt Elyza continue to kiss her. She felt Elyza begin to hesitate and pull back, but Alicia finally succumbed and pulled her back by her hips. Elyza began smiling into the kiss which caused Alicia to begin to smile as well. Both girls pulled back, almost giggling.

"I just wanted you to know how perfect you are." Elyza wrapped her arms around her waist. She brushed a few wet strands of hair out of Alicia's face and kissed her forehead.

"Why are you so sweet?" Alicia embraced Elyza, resting her head on her shoulder.

"Because I'm crazy about you, Alicia." Elyza whispered and kissed her again.


End file.
